Lin Xue looked up, her amber cat pupils contracting slightly under the lamplight, like a startled cat. She instinctively shrank back, but soon relaxed again and gave a faint smile. "It was the Strategist's command that was good. I just... did what I was supposed to do."
"No." Su Chen sat down across from her, his tone very serious. "If you hadn't suppressed the soul attacks from those two Seal guards at the final moment, all of us would have fallen there. Your Shadow Cat Martial Soul naturally counters soul-type attacks. In the entire academy, you might be the only one capable of doing that."
Lin Xue lowered her head, her fingers gently rubbing the rim of her cup, and did not answer. She was not used to being praised. Ever since she was little, she had always been the shadow hiding in the corner, unnoticed by others. At the Martial Soul awakening ceremony, when the testing crystal displayed the words "Shadow Cat," what she saw was the disappointment in the eyes of the people around her. Shadow Cat, a support-type Martial Soul with no offensive power, capable only of invisibility, stealth, and sensing auras. In a world that worshiped strength, such a Martial Soul meant mediocrity. It meant she could only ever stand behind others.
But Su Chen did not see it that way.
"Lin Xue, have you ever thought that your Martial Soul might not just be support?" Su Chen set down his wine glass and leaned forward slightly. "In legend, the Shadow Cat is the messenger of the Lord of the Netherworld, able to travel between life and death. Its abilities are far more than simple invisibility."
Lin Xue's eyes lit up for a moment, but quickly dimmed again. "But... my Soul Power is only level thirty-seven.